5 thoughts: Eagles go with Castillo
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5 thoughts: Eagles go with Castillo
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Here are five thoughts on the Eagles' announcement Wednesday that Juan Castillo will be their next defensive coordinator:
1. If you missed the press conference, here's the Cliff Notes version of how the Birds arrived at this decision, which no one saw coming: Castillo has been in Reid's ear for years, telling him that he's a defensive coach and would like to coach that side of the ball. Reid always listened, but wasn't willing to move Castillo unless he found a replacement that was just as good to coach the offensive line. After Reid fired Sean McDermott, he thought about promoting Castillo to defensive coordinator, but only if he could lure legendary offensive line coach, Howard Mudd, out of retirement. Once Reid was able to do that, he decided to make the move.
So, are we buying this version of the story? Given the way things played out, it seems like a reasonable explanation. Big key here: Don't underestimate the role Jim Washburn had in those whole thing. An NFL Films piece called Washburn and Mudd "best friends" and showed them spending part of their offseason together motorcycling across South Africa. Why would a coach who turns 69 years old later this month (Mudd) want to return to the league? My guess is it was two-fold: a.) To coach with pal Washburn and b.) A financial offer from the Eagles that was too enticing to pass up.
2. As for Castillo's hiring, let's start with what we know. He's known for his work ethic, and I've heard players say nothing but great things about him in the past few years since I started writing about the team.
At training camp, it was common to see Castillo on the field with several offensive linemen in the afternoons when there was technically only a special-teams practice being held. What was perhaps more impressive was that Castillo was often working with backups and guys who wouldn't even end up making the roster.
I have no idea if this move is going to work out, but what's clear is that Reid was going to go with his guy. It's been written several times, and it's true. Reid is in a critical phase of his career. If he doesn't get this team over the hump in the next two to three years (his contract runs through 2013), both Reid and the organization could very well choose to part ways. There's a chance this was the last defensive coordinator Reid will ever hire in Philadelphia. And so he went with a guy he's familiar with, a guy he can trust.
The other part of Reid's comments that stood out was when he was explaining his own rise to becoming a head coach. Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner took a chance on him even though he hadn't been an offensive coordinator. You get the sense that Reid really appreciated that and was proud of that. I think it had something to do with his decision to go with Castillo.
3. Don't forget that the Eagles still have to find a linebackers coach and a defensive backs coach. Those hires could come from within, but make no mistake: they are of huge importance. In Washburn, the Eagles got what most consider the top defensive line coach in the NFL. Castillo brought Washburn's name up several time during his press conference. It's clear that he is a huge asset and someone Castillo is going to lean on. That's smart because Castillo is going to have his hands full. He's never called a game before in his life. And he needs capable assistants to coach the linebackers and secondary.
4. At some point in the last 12 years, the Eagles became one of the most unpredictable franchises in the NFL. I'm not quite sure when it started. There was the addition of Terrell Owens back in 2004. There was the signing of Michael Vick in 2009. The decision to trade Donovan McNabb within the division last year. Starting Vick ahead of Kevin Kolb during the season. Firing McDermott after two seasons. And now this.
If Reid is feeling pressure to do things a certain way from upper management, it did not show here. While it's fair to question whether the McNabb and McDermott moves were his alone, the unconventional decision to go with Castillo would appear to be Reid's and Reid's alone.
5. The biggest question that remains unanswered (from a football standpoint) is how the defensive scheme will change. Reid said terminology will not change. And the impression I got from the press conference was that the defense is not going to deviate greatly from its approach of getting after the quarterback.
Say what you want about McDermott, but he was an idea guy. He had a vision of how he thought the Eagles should play defense, and he wasn't afraid to try new things or come up with out-of-the-box ideas. Castillo has been so focused for years on coaching the offensive line that you wonder if he has those same ideas running through his head. Will the Eagles rely on the blitz? Will they rotate players in and out of the game? Will they drop linemen into coverage? Those are the questions we won't have answers to until the team is allowed to practice again, which might not be for six or seven months, depending on what happens with the CBA.
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sheil, thanks for the info and insight. this is a puzzling move by the eagles for sure. i hope castillo backs up what he says and produces a great defensive unit.— liberty_bell- perfect example of the closed-minded, bunker mentality of reid. just when the team needs an honest appraisal of it's defensive strategy and player philosphy -- he hires the o line coach cause he's a hard worker.
terrible. awful. embarrassing.— snakeplissken 
Going to help Juan if they get him some talent.- First off Andy is a Liar, so I don’t believe a word he says. Second Andy is a control freak! Third the guy is a terrible game day coach! Finally, I think it is safe to say the only reason for this hire is Andy does not want anyone outside to challenge his comfort zone. He doesn’t want anyone outside to criticize or challenge his decisions; it is as simple as that.— CrashTestCorzine
- I have been a staunch supporter of Reid's, but I now give up on the guy. Time for him to go.— guyblur
- Let's see, take a coach that has never called a game as a defensive coordinator, hasn't coached defense in the NFL, last coached defense in high school, oh, and in the last season coached an offensive line that gave up 49 sacks, the fourth worst in the league, (two teams below them were tied at 50 and the last place team had 56) and then promote him. I definitely wanted Sean McDermott fired because while he may become a good defensive coordinator some day, he looked in over his head. The second coach I wanted fired was Juan Castillo. All that I've heard is how great an offensive line coach that he is, yet his players always look unprepared and constantly take stupid penalties. Jason Peters is a holding penalty waiting to happen and Winston Justice is a false start waiting to happen. This looks like another story of the Eagles going for the low priced, bargain basement, selection. Maybe the silver lining in this is it will hasten the departure of Andy Reid, who seems like a really nice man that is loyal to his coaches and players but who will never win a Super Bowl, the only thing that really matters.
I am a big fan of Juan's as a coach. I am more than willing to reserve judgement on the move until we have seen the new Eagle defense in action. I hope Castillo will junk every vestige of the JJ era and use the whatever scheme best suits the talent on the roster. I am proud of Juan and his accomplishments with the Eagles, and so is every other Javalina fan I know. He has always stood out as a man who would go the extra mile. The Eagles need that attitude on the defensive side, too.- I suspect "they" are right about Reid seeing limited time for his tenure as Eagles coach, and wanted somebody he knows well. Plus I suspect several of the names they were thinking of interviewing already indicated (for various reasons) that they would not be interested. The biggest reason.... impending lockout - a major major obstascle for a coach coming from outside the organization— mrdip
Comment removed.- It's one thing to be a good drill sargeant and another to be a captain or a general. Two different realms. Does Juan have the mind to strategize and scheme against the bright OC in this league? DC is more about scheming than teaching. That's why they hire coaches. Jaun is a great Sargeant....I don't see him being a great Captain.— greenflyer
- He should be absolutely fine with scheme because as o-line coach, he was responsible for protection against each scheme. Defensive scheme is all about breaking down the opposition's protection and assuring your last lines of defense are there, in case there is a breakdown. My concern is coverage adjustments. Communication between defensive coaches will be VITAL. — beegal99
- Let's be honest. The reason reid din't go with a big name is because he doesn't want someone in the wings with previous head coaching experience. He is AFRAID for his job and gave it to someone who is just glad to be in the league. No threat, no worries!— jtcigar
- So they bring in 2 very solid but senior coaches in Washburn and Mudd.
Then a headscratcher at defensive coordinator. Even thought everyone likes Castillo's work ethic and desire, why not bring in some fresh defensive mind and draft well.
It's almost like Reid knows he's a dead coach walking so senior coaches can get a year or two and retire. He doesn't bring in a coach from the outside. The Eagles are cheap, stupid, and will never win a super bowl with AR as their head coach. Mubarak in Egypt has more support than Reid does.— Fan74 
The move shows guts. I hope that the feeling I get from the moves and comments is correct: less fancy, more solid hitting. Great article Sheil, thoughtful and intelligent with actual analysis of THINGS I DIDN"T KNOW. This story was about football and hopefully so was this move. It looks like it was, and I give credit to AR for having the guts to make a move he thinks is right when he KNOWS he'll get crucified for it.- Sheil,
More terrific insight from you: you are the best Eagles reporter philly.com has, and by a comfortable margin.
Per the move, this came out of left field for me..need time to digest it.— MG44
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